It’s official – Olivia and Jack were the most popular baby names of 2016

Olivia and Jack were the most popular baby names of 2016.

Published:10:58Tuesday 20 December 2016

The most popular baby names of 2016 have been revealed.

The National Record of Scotland announced today (Tuesday) that Olivia and Jack were the baby names most parents favoured over the past 12 months.

Olivia, the third most popular girls’ name last year, is the top girls’ name for the first time.

Last year’s top girls’ name, Emily, is a close second, while Sophie has dropped from second to third. Charlotte has now entered the top ten with Lily dropping out.

Jack has now been the top boys’ name for nine consecutive years.

James and Oliver have switched places since 2015, with James now the second most popular name and Oliver third. Harry, Noah and Leo have entered the top ten at the expense of Lucas, Harris and Daniel.

National Records of Scotland registered 24,489 girls and 26,408 boys during this period. There were 4,137 different first forenames for girls and 3,132 for boys. Of these, 4,743 children were given first forenames that were unique to them.

Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for culture, Europe and external affairs, said: “It’s always fascinating and fun to see the names Scotland’s parents are giving to their newborns.

“Choosing a name for your child is such a huge decision. It’s their introduction to the world and usually stays with them for the rest of their lives.

“The trend for unique names remains far higher than it has been in previous decades, indicating that today’s parents are putting a lot of thought into choosing names for their babies.

“I note that so far, ‘Fiona’ does not appear in this year’s top 100, so it may appeal to parents who are expecting a girl next year and looking for a rarer name.”